Swarm Biotactics
Kassel-based bio-robotics startup building controllable cyborg insects with sensor backpacks and edge AI for silent, close-range ISR in GPS-denied environments.
Background
Swarm Biotactics was founded in 2024 in Kassel, Germany by Stefan Wilhelm (CEO) and Moritz Strube (CTO), with a U.S. subsidiary established in San Francisco.
The company emerged from the intersection of entomology, materials miniaturization, and defense electronics to address reconnaissance scenarios where conventional drones are too large, too loud, or too detectable.
The core product line consists of living insects fitted with custom miniaturized backpacks that integrate control electronics, multi-modal sensors, edge AI inference, swarm coordination algorithms, and secure communications.
The systems are designed to operate in cluttered, GPS-denied, or otherwise inaccessible environments, returning real-time ISR data without acoustic or visual signatures typical of mechanical platforms. No individual system designations have been publicly disclosed.
Swarm Biotactics goes to market directly to defense and national security customers. The company exhibited at Enforce Tac in Kassel to build defense-industry visibility.
By February 2026, headcount had grown to over 40 employees across the German headquarters and San Francisco subsidiary.